RIU Palace Jamaica – ‘Best All-Inclusive’ Under 300 Rooms
THE RIU Palace in Montego Bay sparkled at the Hospitality Jamaica 2016 Awards on Saturday, November 19, copping the much-yearned-after Best All Inclusive Hotel (under 300 rooms) prize, ahead of Jewel Runaway Bay and Hedonism II.
It was a wide array of factors that contributed to the RIU Palace win, chief among them being the resorts amenities. The property is outfitted with free Wi-Fi, infinity pools, and offers an extensive list of entertainment and sporting activities, including, tennis and golf, windsurfing, scuba diving and a fully equipped gym.
All rooms at the 200-plus room hotel have their own balconies, satellite television, coffee machine, a sofa, and a full bathroom, with other comforts available, including 24-hour room service and an equally equipped all-day snack and drink bar carrying whiskey, vodka, gin, rum, and an array of soft drinks in the mini-bar in each room.
The rooms are well-equipped with large, plush beds, air conditioning, Jacuzzi baths, and walk-in showers, and are well maintained by a very thorough housekeeping staff, who also offer an evening bed-turndown service for guests’ comfort.
A hallmark of every all-inclusive hotel is its cuisine, and the RIU Palace is no exception. RIU Palace offers a multiplicity of culinary options, including a wide-ranging Jamaican menu, international dishes from the Orient and Italy, fusion cuisine, and a steakhouse offering some of the most delectable dishes around.
The resort’s gastronomy is so highly regarded that it was also one of three front-runners in the island for Hospitality Jamaica’s Best in Cuisine award and was given high accolades for its ‘variety and freshness’ and what one visitor describes as the “awesome food” and “amazing breakfast”.
PROOF IN THE PUDDING
‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating,’ the old adage says, and, indeed, RIU Palace’s guests have left the property totally ‘wowed’, with some vowing to return soonest possible. “The hotel is spotlessly clean, with staff endlessly cleaning every day, ranging from the pool areas to toilets to polishing glasses on the tables for dinner ... it’s so meticulous” is among the things guests have had to say about the property.
The hotel’s staff has been accorded the distinction, by guests, of being its “biggest asset”. They have been lauded as “friendly, hard-working, courteous, able to pay attention to details and to make visitors feel special”. In the words of one North American visitor: “They are one of the main reasons why we loved this hotel so much”, and “they are all a credit to the hotel and is one of the reasons we will be coming back to the RIU Palace Jamaica.”